1SlyChance
Chance
For my description of Chance, I am including a few exerpts from an essay I wrote about him for an online essay contest explaining how you horse warms your heart in the winter. Chance's essay won first place, yielding a bunch of great horse treats for him!
Part of my essay:
Let me tell you a little story about an amazing horse named Chance. He is not amazing because of how many blue ribbons he's won, he hasn't won a single one in fact... he is not amazing because of his breeding either. In fact no one really nows for sure what he is. Our best guess is some sort of Fjord-draft cross. He is amazing for a totally different reason, and its all thanks to chance.
First I have something to admit to all of you reading my essay, I am a horse addict. I have been one since I really knew what one was... probably since age 2 or 3. Growing up in the suburbs did little to help the addiction. Sure there were the random pony rides at places we'd stop for a visit, but I always wanted my own! Unfortunately like my parents always said, "Money does not grow on trees, and horses sure do eat a lot of it!".
As a horse crazy 10 year old I was finally taking lessons at a farm about 40 minutes from my house. I took a lesson once a month for an hour (all I could afford with my paper-girl salary!). Long story short, apart from an occasional riding lesson here or there, and volunteering once a week at the local therapeutic riding center, horses remained just out of reach for me all through high school, and into the start of college. College unfortunately meant the end of my weekly volunteering, and an end to riding lessons... Sadly anything "horses" began to slip away from me.
At this point I begin working on a private farm part time as a stall mucker/trail guide, delighting in the fact I was surrounded by horses once again. Just the smell of the pine shavings, the brush of velvet noses, and the other wonderful sights and smells of the farm were a symphony of warm feelings, and pure joy to my senses. This was also a happy return of my peace of mind and well being, a feeling that had escaped me since the happy times of riding as a child. It was truly chance that I even found this job in the first place. An old connection from the therapeutic center I had volunteered with passed it along to me.
It was here at the tiny private farm that things started in motion for me to achieve my life-long goal of horse ownership, unbeknownst to me. In an online search for a nice sturdy looking trail horse for the barn owner' business, I happened upon a rescue in PA with a nice looking buckskin draft cross for sale. The price was right, the cost of him to a meat dealer. Yup, this poor guy was on his way to someone's plate. The pictures were terrible, and the poor guy looked so droopy and apathetic to the world around him while he was being ridden up and down a trash lined driveway. It was sad. I showed him to the barn owner, she was interested at first, but then forgot about him quickly.
I couldn't get him out of my mind, so I went home and showed him to my husband. We talked about it for a few hours, then I was given the green light to call the lady I worked for and see if we could work something out with his board. She agreed, and shortly after I was on my way to setting up a meeting with my horse friend and a trainer in tow 8 hours away to see the poor buckskin draft cross. Everything was good until the following morning. The rescue called me back. If I didn't purchase him that day, the meat dealer was taking him to his next auction - the following morning. If he didn't sell he'd come back to the dealer's lot one more time, but chances were this big boned boy would go. I was mortified and did something I always swore I'd never do. I bought that horse, sight unseen. I was taking a huge risk, all for the chance this would work out in the end.
After a few vet visits and a contract with a horse transporter, my new horse, my first horse, was finally on his way to me! I should have been out of this world excited, but I was more nervous than anything... I knew I should have looked at him first, but hey he looked calm and sleepy in all of his pictures right? In a constant battle of "yes" and "no" in my head I justified what I did as right. Besides, he looked like a lazy kind of guy in the 1 minute video posted of him online... right?
Fast forward to the arrival date - he's finally here, With child-like awe and delight I reach out to grab the end of the lead line from the transporter's hand, the symbolic culmination of all my wishing and dreaming as a child, I was finally looking upon my new horse for the first time as he turns to come off the trailer. Everything went quiet for about 10 seconds, it was like slow motion, I held my breath, the other horses were causing commotion behind us at the sight of the horse coming off the trailer in the driveway, but my attention did not waiver, time effectively stood still. He turned, I saw his face, and I gasped a little (he was even more beautiful than his pictures did him justice)... and then in a second's time, he flew off the trailer, spooked at a dog, spooked at a rock, dragged me half way down the driveway, then stopped abruptly, looked at me with wide eyes (reference- deer in the headlight look), and planted his feet like a donkey letting out a gut churning, panicked (kind of goat-like) whinny to the herd of horses staring at him from the other side of the fence. My heart sank.
Just jitters right? It was a long ride in the trailer after all. Nope! This behavior went on and on. Every day there was no improvement. He wouldn't even eat if there was a person anywhere near the barn. He was wild, did not want to be touched. The first day I was going to try brushing him I remember walking into the barn holding the brush in my hand at my side, not even looking at him. I started thinking of a name for my new boy Hmm, maybe Montana! He was the color of a wild mustang, and as big as the prairie sky! Yeah, maybe Monte would be a good name! As I walked past his stall I was going to just set the brush down outside on a hay bale. He took one look at me, looked at my hand, his eyes grew large, and he turned around and promptly ran himself into the back wall of his stall to try to get away. I sat on the hay and cried. Now it all made sense... the tired look in the photos online, was it poor nutrition, dehydration, drugs? It could have been any or all of the above. What was I going to do?
I sat on that bale for a while quietly and asked him. "What are we going to do here? I took a huge chance on you, and I want to make this work, for your sake, and my own." He looked at me like I was going to eat him, but then quietly began to munch hay in front of me... a first for him. I told him that we were going to try this. I decided "Chance" was a great name for him. Chance led me to him, chance brought us together, and he epitomized the meaning of the word. This was his last chance. After all, he had hit the end of the road, and was off to a slaughter auction.
We started slow. On the ground for a year or so, just working on basic things like haltering, brushing, catching him in pasture, touching him everywhere, walking past buckets, etc, checking everything at the farm out. We progressed to picking his feet, cross tying, and yes, finally accepting treats from a person's hand thanks to my friend Judy's home-made horse treats!
Moving away from that barn and on our own, we both learned how to lunge. He learned the gaits by voice command, he learned how to accept a rider and not be afraid of people. Not just me, all people. I was grabbing every person I saw having them walk up to him, talk to him, pet his shoulder, and give him a treat. We did tons of de-spooking exercises. Time passed and with some professional intervention (after all I am not a trainer), he was doing well under saddle at a walk/trot.
It has been 3 more years since then. My boy and I are inseparable! He comes when I call him, rides reliably at a walk, trot, canter, lunges free or with a line on voice commands alone (he knows 6 different commands), goes on trail, will go thru any obstacle put in front of him, and knows several tricks and stretches. We are avid trail riders, and wish to keep learning and start to compete in hunt paces or trail challenge courses. Yes money is still tight, and there are more bills than ever to pay, but my horse, my Chance, continues to be the largest scariest, and most rewarding chance I have ever taken. I will never regret taking this chance. He has truly changed my life, and the lives of a few others along the way, all for the good.
It has been a few more years now and Chance and I are still best buddies, on trail, on the ground, always together. His little goat-like whinny when he hears me come into the barn melts my heart - I am the ONLY person he will do that for! He spoils me, so I spoil him back.. We definitely saved each other!
Chance
For my description of Chance, I am including a few exerpts from an essay I wrote about him for an online essay contest explaining how you horse warms your heart in the winter. Chance's essay won first place, yielding a bunch of great horse treats for him!
Part of my essay:
Let me tell you a little story about an amazing horse named Chance. He is not amazing because of how many blue ribbons he's won, he hasn't won a single one in fact... he is not amazing because of his breeding either. In fact no one really nows for sure what he is. Our best guess is some sort of Fjord-draft cross. He is amazing for a totally different reason, and its all thanks to chance.
First I have something to admit to all of you reading my essay, I am a horse addict. I have been one since I really knew what one was... probably since age 2 or 3. Growing up in the suburbs did little to help the addiction. Sure there were the random pony rides at places we'd stop for a visit, but I always wanted my own! Unfortunately like my parents always said, "Money does not grow on trees, and horses sure do eat a lot of it!".
As a horse crazy 10 year old I was finally taking lessons at a farm about 40 minutes from my house. I took a lesson once a month for an hour (all I could afford with my paper-girl salary!). Long story short, apart from an occasional riding lesson here or there, and volunteering once a week at the local therapeutic riding center, horses remained just out of reach for me all through high school, and into the start of college. College unfortunately meant the end of my weekly volunteering, and an end to riding lessons... Sadly anything "horses" began to slip away from me.
At this point I begin working on a private farm part time as a stall mucker/trail guide, delighting in the fact I was surrounded by horses once again. Just the smell of the pine shavings, the brush of velvet noses, and the other wonderful sights and smells of the farm were a symphony of warm feelings, and pure joy to my senses. This was also a happy return of my peace of mind and well being, a feeling that had escaped me since the happy times of riding as a child. It was truly chance that I even found this job in the first place. An old connection from the therapeutic center I had volunteered with passed it along to me.
It was here at the tiny private farm that things started in motion for me to achieve my life-long goal of horse ownership, unbeknownst to me. In an online search for a nice sturdy looking trail horse for the barn owner' business, I happened upon a rescue in PA with a nice looking buckskin draft cross for sale. The price was right, the cost of him to a meat dealer. Yup, this poor guy was on his way to someone's plate. The pictures were terrible, and the poor guy looked so droopy and apathetic to the world around him while he was being ridden up and down a trash lined driveway. It was sad. I showed him to the barn owner, she was interested at first, but then forgot about him quickly.
I couldn't get him out of my mind, so I went home and showed him to my husband. We talked about it for a few hours, then I was given the green light to call the lady I worked for and see if we could work something out with his board. She agreed, and shortly after I was on my way to setting up a meeting with my horse friend and a trainer in tow 8 hours away to see the poor buckskin draft cross. Everything was good until the following morning. The rescue called me back. If I didn't purchase him that day, the meat dealer was taking him to his next auction - the following morning. If he didn't sell he'd come back to the dealer's lot one more time, but chances were this big boned boy would go. I was mortified and did something I always swore I'd never do. I bought that horse, sight unseen. I was taking a huge risk, all for the chance this would work out in the end.
After a few vet visits and a contract with a horse transporter, my new horse, my first horse, was finally on his way to me! I should have been out of this world excited, but I was more nervous than anything... I knew I should have looked at him first, but hey he looked calm and sleepy in all of his pictures right? In a constant battle of "yes" and "no" in my head I justified what I did as right. Besides, he looked like a lazy kind of guy in the 1 minute video posted of him online... right?
Fast forward to the arrival date - he's finally here, With child-like awe and delight I reach out to grab the end of the lead line from the transporter's hand, the symbolic culmination of all my wishing and dreaming as a child, I was finally looking upon my new horse for the first time as he turns to come off the trailer. Everything went quiet for about 10 seconds, it was like slow motion, I held my breath, the other horses were causing commotion behind us at the sight of the horse coming off the trailer in the driveway, but my attention did not waiver, time effectively stood still. He turned, I saw his face, and I gasped a little (he was even more beautiful than his pictures did him justice)... and then in a second's time, he flew off the trailer, spooked at a dog, spooked at a rock, dragged me half way down the driveway, then stopped abruptly, looked at me with wide eyes (reference- deer in the headlight look), and planted his feet like a donkey letting out a gut churning, panicked (kind of goat-like) whinny to the herd of horses staring at him from the other side of the fence. My heart sank.
Just jitters right? It was a long ride in the trailer after all. Nope! This behavior went on and on. Every day there was no improvement. He wouldn't even eat if there was a person anywhere near the barn. He was wild, did not want to be touched. The first day I was going to try brushing him I remember walking into the barn holding the brush in my hand at my side, not even looking at him. I started thinking of a name for my new boy Hmm, maybe Montana! He was the color of a wild mustang, and as big as the prairie sky! Yeah, maybe Monte would be a good name! As I walked past his stall I was going to just set the brush down outside on a hay bale. He took one look at me, looked at my hand, his eyes grew large, and he turned around and promptly ran himself into the back wall of his stall to try to get away. I sat on the hay and cried. Now it all made sense... the tired look in the photos online, was it poor nutrition, dehydration, drugs? It could have been any or all of the above. What was I going to do?
I sat on that bale for a while quietly and asked him. "What are we going to do here? I took a huge chance on you, and I want to make this work, for your sake, and my own." He looked at me like I was going to eat him, but then quietly began to munch hay in front of me... a first for him. I told him that we were going to try this. I decided "Chance" was a great name for him. Chance led me to him, chance brought us together, and he epitomized the meaning of the word. This was his last chance. After all, he had hit the end of the road, and was off to a slaughter auction.
We started slow. On the ground for a year or so, just working on basic things like haltering, brushing, catching him in pasture, touching him everywhere, walking past buckets, etc, checking everything at the farm out. We progressed to picking his feet, cross tying, and yes, finally accepting treats from a person's hand thanks to my friend Judy's home-made horse treats!
Moving away from that barn and on our own, we both learned how to lunge. He learned the gaits by voice command, he learned how to accept a rider and not be afraid of people. Not just me, all people. I was grabbing every person I saw having them walk up to him, talk to him, pet his shoulder, and give him a treat. We did tons of de-spooking exercises. Time passed and with some professional intervention (after all I am not a trainer), he was doing well under saddle at a walk/trot.
It has been 3 more years since then. My boy and I are inseparable! He comes when I call him, rides reliably at a walk, trot, canter, lunges free or with a line on voice commands alone (he knows 6 different commands), goes on trail, will go thru any obstacle put in front of him, and knows several tricks and stretches. We are avid trail riders, and wish to keep learning and start to compete in hunt paces or trail challenge courses. Yes money is still tight, and there are more bills than ever to pay, but my horse, my Chance, continues to be the largest scariest, and most rewarding chance I have ever taken. I will never regret taking this chance. He has truly changed my life, and the lives of a few others along the way, all for the good.
It has been a few more years now and Chance and I are still best buddies, on trail, on the ground, always together. His little goat-like whinny when he hears me come into the barn melts my heart - I am the ONLY person he will do that for! He spoils me, so I spoil him back.. We definitely saved each other!